On Monday Marvel released one of their popular (or at least prolific) one-word teaser images hyping something of the “FUTURE” from Jason Latour and Mahmud Asrar, and now today, we know what that future is: a new semester at Wolverine’s mutant school.

As revealed in an interview at IGN.com, Marvel is relaunching the popular Wolverine & The X-Men series in March with a new creative team of writer Jason Latour and artist Mahmud Asrar. The current volume of the series, helmed by writer Jason Aaron, will conclude with issue #42 in February. According to the interview, Latour & Asrar’s run on the series will act as “summer semester” for the faculty and students after the first regular “school year” during Aaron’s first volume.

“As we’ve seen this first year or so of the Jean Grey School has been a hard road,” Latour tells IGN. “As a result we’ll begin with a lot of the teachers and students sitting on the edge of their seats just waiting for the bell to ring. For a break, for a reprieve. Some of them even want to quit. With summer in session many of them have. Those that are left are the ones who basically have no where to go.”

According to Latour, the new Wolverine & The X-Men series will focus on three students – Quentin Quire, Evan Sabahnur and Idie Okonkwo.

“These kids are Logan’s legacy, but as we’ve seen up to this point he didn’t have such a great track record with that stuff even when he was at his best,” explains Latour. “In them we could be witnessing the growth of the next great team of X-Men, or the creation of the biggest threats the Marvel U will ever see. Everything we’re planning, the adventures, the threats, will reflect that journey.”

Given the fact that summer break for school’s is all-too short, IGN asked Latour if this meant he would only be on the book for a limited time before the next school year begins. While Latour wouldn’t clarify the length of his tenure on the book, he stated he has “lots of idea for the future” and hopes to continue on the book indefinitely.

In the announcement last month that Paul Cornell’s Wolverine series will be relaunching in 2014 and will show Wolverine pulling back from his various commitments in the Marvel U, the question of his role going forward at the Jean Grey School is high of concern for the faculty, staff and most importantly the readers. Latour explains that the school is “built on the back of” Wolverine, but things have changed

“But now Logan is mortal and for the first time he’s being forced to take stock of what he’s built,” the writer explains. “He’s realizing that what he saw as a school could, in the wrong hands, become a factory for the next Cyclops or Dark Phoenix or Apocalypse or Weapon X. That though people like Storm are ready and willing to take the mantle, he’s not sure that he wants to subject them to the price of that duty.”

With the headmaster position in flux, the school is also dealing with the recent departure of many of its teachers in the wake of X-Men: Battle of the Atom, leading Wolverine to recruit an unlikely new teacher in the form of Fantomex.

“Well with the mass exodus of teachers Fantomex is, maybe somewhat surprisingly, Logan’s first choice to step into an open position,” Latour reveals. ”One of Logan’s greatest fears is leaving his school in the hands of men like Cyclops. Fantomex is a man who sees the world in grey, who understands what it means to be raised a weapon. As violent has he’s been, he’s shown again and again that he does know its cost.”

Asrar says that he’ll be keeping the “basic visual design” of the ensemble cast, but there will be “slight variations” do their combat gear. Asrar does reveal that there will be new characters – both students and villains – appearing in the series that he is currently designing.

When asked specifically about threats the school would face in the be new Wolverine & The X-Men series, Latour hints at the appearance of “a villain who has a connection to the Phoenix Force.” Along with several new villains as Asrar mentioned before.

In the announcement last month that Paul Cornell’s Wolverine series will be relaunching in 2014 and will show Wolverine pulling back from his various commitments in the Marvel U, the question of his role going forward at the Jean Grey School is high of concern for the faculty, staff and most importantly the readers. Latour explains that the school is “built on the back of” Wolverine, but things have changed

“But now Logan is mortal and for the first time he’s being forced to take stock of what he’s built,” the writer explains. “He’s realizing that what he saw as a school could, in the wrong hands, become a factory for the next Cyclops or Dark Phoenix or Apocalypse or Weapon X. That though people like Storm are ready and willing to take the mantle, he’s not sure that he wants to subject them to the price of that duty.”

I'm all for Logan not being on every team ever, but is anybody really interested in stories where Wolverine gets his ass kicked even harder?! The healing factor was the one thing that gave Logan his edge, not to mention how important it is for his other power, what with the adamantium poisoning and the constantly having blades pierce his knuckles. Plus his longevity, the fact that he outlives all those he loves, those are the things that make him an interesting character to explore. A normal mortal hero with blades coming out of his hands is not nearly as interesting as the ageless ronin. At this point, I'm almost hoping they do kill him off this year, so when he gets resurrected in another year, he'll come back with all his powers. I blame the new movie as well as Paul Cornell for this really poor and uninteresting direction for the character.

Well it did get to the point that Wolverine could just about do anything because he could heal. I think it is a good idea taking his edge. Though I never read they arc Logan was becoming a plot device. Yes there are issues with his bone claws I agree but I think a change was needed.

His healing factor has been reduced for the past several years.
Wolverine could no longer survive being thrown into the sun or having his skin blasted off, he could just survive gunshots and stabs and all his daily superhero s***.
IDK, his agelessness is one of the biggest things I've always loved about the character, and what seperated him so much from every other hero. It's what makes him unique.
According to bleeding cool, he's gunna die in september, so by time he comes back in, like, december, he'd better have the healing factor back.

WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #1 & 2
Jason Latour (W) • Mahmud Asrar (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY MARK BROOKS
ANIMAL VARIANT BY Jenny Parks
Issue #2 - ARTIST VARIANT BY TBA
WELCOME TO THE JEAN GREY SCHOOL OF HIGHER LEARNING! The ALL NEW MARVEL NOW smash hit series schools with Jason Latour (WINTER SOLDIER) and Mahmud Asrar (X-MEN) leading the charge with drama, action and homework(?)! World-famous X-Men Wolverine, Storm, and a star-studded faculty must educate the next generation all-powerful, but inexperienced mutants! But with their own lives steeped in deadly enemies and personal crises, how can the X-Men guide and educate—let alone defend—the school? At the Jean Grey School, you never know who will enroll…or who will lead the class! And what mysterious organization waits in the shadows to destroy Wolverine’s mutant sanctuary? These questions and more are answered in the All-New Marvel Now sure-to-be-smash, WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #1!
32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (EACH)

WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #3
JASON LATOUR (W) • MAHMUD ASRAR (A/C)
Artist Variant by Jorge Molina
WHO IS THE PHOENIX CORPORATION?
• The question of the year continues -- with another one: what do they want with Quentin Quire?
• Latour and Asrar bring you a breaking point in the lives of Logan and Ororo Munro!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

His healing factor has been reduced for the past several years.
Wolverine could no longer survive being thrown into the sun or having his skin blasted off, he could just survive gunshots and stabs and all his daily superhero s***.
IDK, his agelessness is one of the biggest things I've always loved about the character, and what seperated him so much from every other hero. It's what makes him unique.
According to bleeding cool, he's gunna die in september, so by time he comes back in, like, december, he'd better have the healing factor back.

It wasn't reduced, the healing factor was just put back to normal, but too many writers like having Wolverine survive utter insanity.

In the height of the 90s with X-Cutioner's Song, Wolverine had his standard healing factor, full adamantium, and was still the brawler they'd throw head first into multitudes of enemies.

Yet after a fight like that alongside Cable and (I think) Bishop, they had to give him a few minutes to let the healing factor kick in and repair a broken rib and punctured lung. (Yeah, I always went at a broken adamantium rib too)

Now days he fights with half his face missing and the skull showing and no muscle on his arm as if it's nothing.....

Well until unkillable, but I'm really not feeling the "completely mortal" Wolverine. What was their explanation that Beast did to counter the adamantium poisoning? I remember they mentioned it in a panel.

Going back to the healing factor thing I think Gugganhem(sp) was the only writer to reduce it a few years back. There was a whole arc about Logan's fight with death each time up it seemed most overlooked this.

WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #5
JASON LATOUR (W) • MAHMUD ASRAR (A/C)
• Wolverine’s at the mercy of the Phoenix Corporation while Storm races to save the Jean Grey School!
• Only Evan can save Fantomex from death – but dare he?
• Latour and Asrar continue the smash hit of All New Marvel now!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99